Dolphins receiver Rishard Matthews has felt like the odd man out this offseason. He showed a lot of promise last season starting as the slot receiver when Brandon Gibson went down with a patellar tear.

Yet with Gibson back and the Dolphins using a second-round draft choice on Jarvis Landry, Matthews is on the bubble.

But there’s no question he can catch the ball and at Sunday’s practice he was a prime target for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Gibson, still coming back from the injury, sat out the second half of practice and was seen with ice on his knee.

Matthews was the most active receiver at practice today and nearly made the play of training camp with a one-handed grab over Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes. It was ruled incomplete but it’s a glimpse of how hard Matthews is working to stay on the roster.

When asked who will be the Dolphins' WR3, beat writer James Walker responded: "The leader in the clubhouse right now is Rishard Matthews due to the injuries (Brandon Gibson) and inexperience (Jarvis Landry) of the other competitors. But it’s hard to say the competition is really on until all three players fully participate in practice during training camp. Gibson remains limited in practice following last year’s season-ending knee injury. He is the incumbent, but it depends on how well Gibson returns. He may or may not be the same player. Landry has a shot but still has a lot of ground to make up as a rookie. If the season started today, Matthews would be the No. 3 receiver. But there are still three months left in this competition."

The Dolphins haven’t been happy with Rishard Matthews for tardiness, lack of attention to detail and other issues --- one reason why they used a second-round pick on Jarvis Landry instead of being content with Matthews as their fourth receiver.

Friday, November 29, 2013, 5:59pm

Dolphins WR Rishard Matthews (back, probable) took full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and is probable for Week 13.

Dolphins WR Mike Wallace (hamstring, questionable) took limited practice reps again Friday and is questionable for Week 11. The questionable tag indicates that Wallace's hamstring injury is severe enough to put his Week 11 status in question. Brian Hartline and Rishard Matthews are Sneaky Starts in a great matchup against the Chargers. Complicating matters, the Dolphins play in the late round of games on Sunday.

Thursday, November 14, 2013, 6:01pm

Dolphins WR Mike Wallace (hamstring) was added to the injury report Thursday after taking limited practice reps. We'll keep an eye on this. Midweek downgrades aren't usually a good sign. His Friday activity should shed some light on the injury. Brian Hartline and Rishard Matthews stand to benefit if the hamstring keeps Wallace out of Week 11.

Nobody has to remind Rishard Matthews his number is finally being called, and that the Dolphins need him to step up as the team's new slot receiver.

But there is some concern about the process being rushed because Matthews doesn't have much experience playing the slot receiver role, which involves a lot of route adjustments and defensive reads.

Matthews has practiced in the slot going back to last season, but not on a full-time basis. Even quarterback Ryan Tannehill admits his chemistry with Matthews will be a factor in the passing game moving forward.

"It takes time and some reps," Tannehill said. "It is a chemistry thing in the slot, knowing when to get uncovered, hot throws, timing in and out [of breaks]. But I feel good about it. I feel like he has a good handle on it."

Fantasy Impact:

The slot receiver is active in the Dolphins offense so there is some upside here, but we shouldn't expect anything more than what Brandon Gibson was producing prior to the injury. Gibson had three TDs in the last two games, but was averaging 4.3-47-.42 on the season.